Sleeping Sickness 3
by McGeeklover
Summary: Tim suffers a traumatic event, now he can't sleep since he's being plagued by horrifying nightmares. He thinks that no one cares and that everything is his fault so he decides his gun has a different purpose, no one will miss him. Longer than before :
1. Chapter 1

**Sleeping Sickness 3**

**Chapter 1**

_ Screaming. Fire. Blood. Burning flesh. Dead Body, his dad's dead, burning body. It was all his fault. He let his dad drive the car that he was fixing, and he was sure that everything was working, but at the last minute, he noticed he forgot the brake wires. Now his dad was out on the street with no way to stop. The next thing he heard, was a giant crash, followed by an explosion. His mom and sister came rushing out behind Tim, wondering what the noise was. There was a large gas truck on his side with a familiar red car lodged in it. The whole thing was on fire. _

_ "T-Tim, who was driving that car?" his mom said shakily. Tim turned around and looked at his mom tearfully and she knew instantly._

_ "No, no, no. No!" she screamed as she ran towards the accident. McGee ran after her, as Sarah just stood in the driveway crying. McGee watched as his mom fell to her knees, crying and screaming for her husband. This was his fault; his dad was dead because of him. Suddenly, his dad's bloody melted body, was in front of him, hoarsely whispering to him. _

_ "This is your fault, Tim. You should of checked everything, but you are too careless and lazy to check for faults. I can't believe I ever trusted you to do this, now I'm dead because of you. Stupid, lazy, arrogant, bast-"_

McGee woke up in cold sweat, breathing heavily as he sat up in bed, thinking about his dream. Only it wasn't a dream, it really happened...ten years ago. It was June 8, the anniversary of his dad's car crash. McGee rubbed his face tiredly and looked at the clock. It was five in the morning; getting up out of bed, McGee went into his bathroom to take a shower, washing the nightmares away from his thoughts. After he finished, he got out and got dressed, ready for another long day at work. But he couldn't help get the feeling that Gibbs always gets in his gut. Something felt off, but he couldn't think of anything other than how bad this day was going to be if he saw another car related accident.

When he got to work, Tony and Ziva were bickering bout something as always and Gibbs wasn't here yet, or he was, just getting coffee.

"Hey, McAlmostTardy," Tony said, "Usually your here before me and Ziva, did something or _someone_ keep you from getting here?

McGee rolled his eyes and set up his computer, ready for any case thrown his way. Finally, Gibbs came strolling in and sat down quietly at his desk. The team looked eagerly at him for his to say something, to say that they had a dead marine in Norfolk, or that an army house was blown up with the whole family inside. Something to keep them busy instead of working on cold cases. Gibbs looked at his team and smirked.

"Cold cases today," he said, then taking a sip from coffee, he looked down at a file. The team groaned and went to go choose a cold case. For the rest of the day, the team worked on the Lewinsky case and finally finished, wrapping up the case. The murderer was Darnell Carter; when they found him, he was hiding out in an old cabin in Danville. Tony was talking to Ziva, asking if she wanted to go see a movie, while Gibbs was somewhere in the building. McGee was tired and he couldn't wait to go home and go to bed. Well, at least try, but the nightmares might keep him up again. McGee sighed as he finished his case report and shut down his computer. As he began to stand up, his cellphone rang. Wondering who would be calling him at 9 o' clock at night, he picked it up and looked at the caller I.D.

_Sarah. _Sarah? Why would Sarah be calling at this time? He shrugged and answered the phone.

"Hey, Sarah, what-" but he was cut of by a man's voice.

"Timothy McGee?" said the voice.

"Y-yes. Who is this?" he said in a shaky voice, and sat back down slowly.

Tony stopped talking to Ziva and turned to McGee, noticing the nervousness in his voice. Ziva did the same, watching McGee talk to someone on the phone.

"This is Marcus, I'm a paramedic. It seems that your sister and mother were in a car crash on 23rd street. Your sister is critically injured and is being taken to the hospital as we speak.

McGee took a shuddering breath, he knew the worse was coming, but he just had to ask.

"W-what about m-my mom?" stuttered McGee.

"I'm sorry, Mr. McGee, but your mom died before we even got here. Her injuries were too severe."

McGee was silent; he could feel the color drain from his face. He couldn't hear anything except for the last thing Marcus said.

"Your sister is being brought to St. Mary's hospital, Mr. McGee, and I'm very sorry for your loss."

"Thanks," McGee said in a whisper as he hung up. He could barely breath. It happened again; just when he couldn't think this particular day could be worse. He was supposed to be with mom and Sarah today but, he said he couldn't because of work. He should have been in the car with them. Now mom was dead, dad was dead, and Sarah was clinging onto life. Coming out of his trance, he jump from his chair, and frantically grabbed his stuff.

"McGee, what's wrong?" Ziva asked as she stood up.

"Nothing," muttered Tim as he rushed by her. Tony stood up as he looked at Ziva, both with confused faces. When McGee, was talking on the phone, he saw how pale he got. Something was up.

McGee rushed to the elevator, knowing that Tony and Ziva's eyes were following him. As he got ready to push the elevator button, the doors opened. Without thinking, McGee ran inside, only to crash into Gibbs, who was coming out.

"McGee! Where are you going in such a hurry?" Gibbs yelled.

"S-sorry, Boss," whispered McGee as he tried to go around Gibbs. He had to get to the hospital and Gibbs wasn't making it any easier.

Gibbs, then noticed the panic in his voice; he looked at McGee and saw how pale and frantic he looked. His temper softened and he put two hands on McGee's shoulders.

"Tim, are you okay?" he asked calmly.

"I'm fine, Boss," McGee said, struggling to get out of his Boss' grip. He decided that Gibbs wasn't going to let him take the elevator until he told him something. He looked over to where the stairs began, and he knew what to do. McGee wrenched out of Gibbs' hold and made a run for the stairs. Bolting down the flight, he could hear Gibbs calling after him, not far behind. He couldn't let Gibbs stall him from getting to the hospital. He needed to see Sarah.

Running to the car garage, McGee frantically tried to find the right key for his car, so he wouldn't waste time, and Gibbs couldn't stop him.

"McGee! Where are you going? Wait, McGee!" Gibbs yelled after him.

McGee's breathing quickened as he finally made it to his car and shoved the key in the keyhole. He opened the door and quickly got in as he turned the ignition. All of a sudden, the engine wouldn't start. His car had been acting up again, and the mechanic wasn't able to see it until Friday.

"No, no no! Dammit, don't do this to me!" yelled McGee. Looking out his window, he could see Gibbs getting closer.

"Come on!" grunted McGee as he turned the key one last time. Finally, the engine started and McGee smiled. Putting the lever in drive, McGee raced off towards the hospital just before Gibbs got to him.

"I'm coming, Sarah. Don't give up, keep fighting."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Gibbs watched as his youngest agent raced off out of the yard. Where was he going in such a hurry? Something was wrong with Tim; he had panic in his eyes and all the color from his face was gone. Gibbs sighed and ran back inside. He had to see what got McGee so scared. Not wanting to wait for the elevators, Gibbs ran up the stairs, two steps at a time and reached the bullpen.

"DiNozzo! What's wrong with McGee?" Gibbs breathed as he went to his desk.

"I-I don't know he was talking to someone on the phone one minute, then the next he was all nervous and he ran off." said Tony.

Gibbs picked up his phone and called McGee. A small ring in the distance caught his attention and he walked over to Tim's desk.

"Damn!" Gibbs cursed as he hung up his phone. McGee left his phone here, now there was no way to contact McGee. "Tony, get Abby up here to trace the call he got before left."

"On it, Boss," Tony replied, picking up his phone.

In five minutes, Abby was in the bullpen at Tim's desk tracing the call he got earlier. In a minute, Abby had the name. She gasped as she looked up from the screen.

"What, Abby? Who is it?" asked Gibbs as he walked over to her.

"It-it's his sister, Sarah. Do you think maybe she's in trouble again, Gibbs?" Abby whispered.

Gibbs just sighed and nodded. It happened again, McGee was protecting his sister. Why couldn't McGee just come to him. When McGee comes back, he was going to give him a harsh talking to.

"Where did the call come from, Abs?" Gibbs asked

"It came from 23rd street in Richmond," stated Abby.

"Come on," Gibbs said to Tony and Ziva. He was going to drag McGee's ass back and demand answers from him.

McGee raced through town, almost getting into a car crash himself. He almost wished he did so he could be with his mom and dad, but he remembered Sarah would be all alone, and he couldn't let that happen. In eight minutes to spare, McGee came to a screeching stop near the hospital entrance. He turned off the car and jumped out, running inside, getting closer and closer to seeing his sister. By the time he reached the nurse's desk. A young nurse looked up, startled by the pale, heavy breathing man and waited for him to say something.

"Can I help you, sir?" she asked quietly.

"M-my sister, Sarah McGee? She was brought in a few hours ago from a car crash. Where is she?" he panted.

"Sarah McGee?" asked the nurse. McGee nodded in confirmation. The nurse started typing away at her computer, as McGee eagerly waited for an answer.

"Ah, Sarah McGee," the nurse began, "She was brought into surgery twenty minutes ago for multiple severe injuries. I'll have an attending doctor come and tell you what will happen."

McGee sighed and nodded a thanks. He went to go sit in one of the cheap plastic chairs, waiting for what seemed like hours. Finally, a doctor came out from behind the doors with a clipboard in hand.

"Is there family here for Sarah McGee?" the doctor asked as he looked up. McGee heard the familiar name. Everything was a blur and he didn't notice when the doctor actually got there.

"I-I'm Timothy McGee, her brother. H-how is she?" Tim said getting up and approaching the doctor.

"I'm Doctor Mitchell, one of the attending doctors for your sister. Sarah is in pretty bad shape. She sustained damage to her liver and kidney, a punctured lung, three broken ribs, a cracked skull, brain swelling, a broken arm and leg, and a couple of serious burns. She's going to be in surgery for at least four hours, but I must say, Mr. McGee, that she may not make it through the night, if she even survives surgery. I'm sorry. I'll let you know when you are able to see her."

McGee nodded unconsciously, pale as a sheet. He let out a long sigh and went to go sit back down. Putting his head in his hand he began to heave dry sobs. He couldn't believe this happened again; and worst of all, his sister was suffering. At least his mom didn't have to suffer, but Sarah had gotten all those horrible injuries; she might not even make it. This was definitely the worse day of his life.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Gibbs sped down the streets of D.C. Wanting to get to his destination as quick as possible. One more block on more street on more corner. When he finally reached 23rd street, he was stopped by police officers. He flashed his badge as he got out of the car; the officer directed them towards the accident as Tony and Ziva got out of the car, too. The team walked under the tape and walked towards the officer in charge.

"What happened here, officer?" Gibbs asked as he shook hands with the man.

"A drunk trucker was coming down the street at 100 mph and, these two women were driving down from 22nd street over there when the truck swerved and completely totaled the car. The trucker is fine and is being brought to jail right now on murder charge."

"Murder? What happened to the women?" asked Tony. Ziva punched him in arm, knowing only he would ask in that tone. As Tony rubbed his arm, the officer continued speaking.

"There was an older woman and a younger woman in the car. The older woman, Haley McGee, was dead on impact, while the younger woman, Sarah McGee, was injured badly and was brought to St. Mary's an hour ago."

The whole team went pale. Did they just hear what they thought they heard? Gibbs was the first to speak up.

"What- what were the names of the victims again?" he asked with concern.

"Um, Haley and Sarah McGee," replied the officer.

"Thanks," said Gibbs as he turned around, Tony and Ziva on his tail.

"That-that's why McGee left in a hurry. His sister was almost killed, but why didn't he tell any of us?" Ziva said, getting into the car.

"I don't know, Ziva. I don't know why he never tells us these things. He's gotten more secretive than before," stated Tony.

As they drove back to D.C to get the hospital, everyone was silent. Thinking about how McGee must be taking this. His mom was dead and he didn't tell them? Why couldn't he trust them?

At the hospital, McGee waited and waited for news. Every minute that went by, he got more and more worried. What if the surgery went wrong? What if Sarah died on the table? Oh, god, he couldn't live with that pain. Finally, after agonizing hours, Doctor Mitchell came out into the waiting room. McGee looked up with hope in his features, but when he noticed the somber expression upon the doctor's face, all hope was lost.

"Mr. McGee, we managed to finish the surgery on your sister, but... it's likely she won't make it through the night. Both her liver and kidney were too damaged for repair, she most likely will be dead within the hour. We can put her on bypass so you can say goodbye to her. I am truly sorry, Tim."

McGee was speechless for a second, but then found his voice. "T-thanks. Uh, um c-can I see her?"

"Of course, sir, follow me."

The doctor led McGee to the end of the hallway and to a door. He opened the door and gestured for Tim to go in whenever he wanted to.

"Whenever you and your sister are ready to pull the plug, just press these buttons here," said Dr. Mitchell, pointing to the bypass machine."

McGee nodded as he took a shaky breath as he slowly walked into the room. As he got closer, he could see how banged up his sister was. There were bandages covering almost every inch of her body. What wasn't bandages, was covered in cuts and dark blue bruises.

"Oh god, Sarah," McGee whispered as he walked up to her bed. Tears started spilling out, but he forced them back in, keeping a brave face on for his sister.

He sat down and took her cold hand in his. Responding to touch, Sarah shifted and her eyes began to flutter open.

"S-Sarah? Are you awake?" McGee said eagerly.

"T-Timmy?" Sarah said weakly.

"I'm here, Sarah, don't worry," replied McGee.

Sarah rolled her head to face Tim. "What-what happened? Where am I?"

"You're in a hospital, you-you and mom were in a car crash. You-you were hurt pretty badly."

"Oh... w-where's mom, is she alright?" Sarah asked. She looked up at Tim who wasn't speaking.

"Tim?" she said in a more demanding tone. She could see the pained and sad look on her brother's face and she began to cry. "Oh my god!" she cried as Tim embraced her in a gentle hug, crying with her.

"Oh, god Tim, now we have no parents!" Sarah lifted her head from Tim's shoulder and looked him in the eye. "Tim, there's something you're not telling me, what is it?"

"I'm so sorry, Sarah," McGee sobbed and looked past her.

"What?" she whimpered. Sarah look to where McGee's eyes were looking at. "W-what is that?"

"It's called bypass. It's keeping you alive; the doctor said you-you'd be dead withing the hour. That-that was an hour ago, so you're pretty much dead right now. I'm so sorry!"

Sarah processed the information in her head and began to cry, laying back down on the pillows.

"I can't believe this happened, again, Tim," whispered Sarah.

"I know Sarah." Tim replied. They sat in silence for a while, then began to talk about things; no topic, just random things. They laughed and cried, but it wasn't going to last long.

"T-Tim, I think I want to go to sleep now," yawned Sarah. Tim let tears fall, knowing what that meant.

"How can you be okay with it, Sarah? How can you be okay with dying?"

"I realized that I won't have to suffer, Tim, and that I'll get to see mom and dad."

"But what about me, Sarah, I'm going to be alone, now. You, dad, and mom are gone, and I'll have no family left!"

"We all will always be will you, Tim, don't ever forget that... I'm ready Tim."

"Al-alright Sarah," he cried. "I love you, Sarah," McGee said as he grabbed her hand tightly.

"I love you, too, Timmy." McGee leaned over to the machine and shut everything down. He watched the pained expression on Sarah's face relax, and the grip on his hand slacken, then go limp. His sister was dead, and now he was alone without anyone. He kissed Sarah's cold forehead, and got up to leave. He walked out of the room and out of the hospital. He began to drive back home, thinking about what he was going to do next. All he wanted to do was keep driving and never look back.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Gibbs, Tony and Ziva finally made it to St. Mary's. They didn't realized, though, that they got there ten minutes after Tim left. Walking to the nurses desk, Gibbs cleared his throat, trying to get the nurse's attention.

"Excuse me, ma'am," Gibbs whispered.

"Yes, sir, what can I do for you?"

"I'm here to see Sarah McGee, she was admitted here about two hours ago."

"Let me check the log for you," smiled the nurse as she started clicking away at the computer. When she stopped typing, her smile disappeared and she looked at the team with a sad face.

"I'm sorry, Sarah McGee passed away twenty minutes ago."

Gibbs drew in a sharp breath while Tony cursed and Ziva tried not to let the tears fall.

"Was anyone here for her? Any family members?" asked Gibbs quietly.

"Yes, just her brother; a Timothy McGee. He left about right after the time Sarah died."

"OK, thanks," replied Gibbs as he and the other two turned around, leaving the hospital in dead silence. McGee must feel so alone now; he's suffering this without anyone to lean on. Now they had no idea where McGee went.

"Where would McGee go?" asked Ziva.

"I may have an idea," Gibbs said quietly, and he drove faster then he ever had before.

McGee drove silently home, not knowing what he should do next. Then he noticed the gun on the passenger seat, and he realized that it was finally going to serve its purpose. Slamming on the gas, he began the speedy journey home.

"Don't worry, Sarah, I'll be with you, mom, and dad soon," he whispered.

McGee made it to his house in five minutes, heart pounding, but not second guessing on what he was going to do. He decided not to rush; he wanted to enjoy his last moments on Earth. It's not like anyone was worried about him. The team didn't care about his family problems; he figured that last time when most of the team went against him and Sarah when she was framed for murder. McGee walked to a nearby park and breathed in the fresh air, looked at the scenery. Everything was beautiful, too bad the events behind it had to ruin it. It suddenly began to rain, but McGee didn't run for shelter, he just stood and enjoyed it. He closed his eyes and smiled, thinking about his family and how he would see them soon. McGee sighed and walked back home; walking up the stairs and to his apartment door. He opened the door and just stood, looking around at his apartment. He his eye caught on a picture; a picture of him and his family; happy. They would never be that way again. All the calmness left him, and he began to fill with rage. He ran into his apartment smashing lamps, throwing his books and computers onto the ground, even smashing his beloved typewriter. When he stopped, his whole apartment was trashed, all of his items broken. McGee fell to his knees and began to cry; crying for his family, crying, because everything that happened to his family was always his fault. McGee got up, got his gun and walked into the bathroom, sitting in the tub; he didn't want to make a mess for the landlord to clean up.

"Here we go," he sighed, facing the gun towards his face.

Gibbs screeched to a stop at McGee's apartment. Getting out, he searched for Tim's car and spotted it a few spaces back.

"Stay here unless I need your help. I need to talk to him alone," Gibbs ordered Tony and Ziva. They nodded and waited by the car, worried about McGee, and wanting to see him. Gibbs ran up the stairs, and went to apartment 3. He stopped short, he saw that his agent's door was ajar; taking out his gun, he stepped inside.

"Tim! Where are you?" he yelled as he searched and cleared all the rooms. He walked cautiously to McGee's room and then his bathroom. What he saw scared him straight.

"Tim, no!"


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

"Tim, no!" Gibbs yelled. "What do you think you're doing, McGee?"

McGee didn't seem to hear him, he didn't even flinch. Gibbs could hardly breathe; his youngest and most talented agent was about to commit suicide.

"Stop! Put the gun down, Tim, we can talk about this!"

McGee still didn't move, he just kept looking at the gun expressionlessly. Finally, he spoke up.

"I've been trying to decide if I should do it or not, I never thought it would be this hard to commit suicide; even when I made up my mind as soon as I left the hospital."

"Tim," Gibbs whispered, stepping closer to the tub.

"She's dead, you know. They both are. Sarah and mom, I mean."

Gibbs was silent as he let McGee talk. He needed to let it all out.

"Ha! You know the weird part is that ten years ago today, the same thing happened to my dad. He was in a car crash right down the street from our house, and you want to know whose fault it was? Mine, like always, it was my fault. Just like this time, I'm such a screw-up! And guess what? I was supposed to be with them, to spend time with what was left of my family, but I blew them off for work! Some son I am, huh? I should have been in that car crash, to be the one to die, not Sarah. That's why I have to do this, Gibbs, I don't deserve to live anymore!"

Gibbs stood in shock, about ready to cry for Tim, for all his losses. He couldn't believe Tim felt this way and didn't come to him, or to anyone else on the team.

"Tim, listen to me, this isn't the way." Gibbs said getting closer. McGee flinched and brought his finger closer to the trigger. "Tim, don't. Please. I know you think that you're alone, I know the feeling. I felt the same way after Shannon and Kelly were murdered. But, you're not alone, Tim, you have the whole team here for you, you don't have to do this."

McGee looked up at Gibbs sadly. He started to believe what his Boss was saying, but something in the back of his head was nagging him to go on with his original plan. He desperately wanted to be with his family, but he would be leaving the team devastated if he killed himself. But if he died, then all the pain would go away, and here he would have to suffer. The choices were agonizing, he couldn't take it anymore.

"I'm sorry, Boss," Tim whispered as he began to pull the trigger.

"Tim, no!" yelled Gibbs as he ran towards Tim.

Tony and Ziva were waiting anxiously by the car, wondering what was taking Gibbs so long. They were snapped out of their thoughts when they heard a single gunshot ring out from the apartments. Taking out their guns, they ran inside and up to McGee's apartment. They saw, but ignored the trashed place, and ran to the source of the gunshot. They could hear crying coming from the bathroom. They ran into McGee's room and to the bathroom, but they were stopped short on what they saw.

There was a bullet hole in the ceiling, and Gibbs was on the floor cradling a sobbing McGee. They sighed, as they thought the worse had happened, but thankfully nothing.

"What happened, Boss?" asked Tony who was out of breath.

Gibbs ignored him, and kept on cradling Tim, rocking him back and forth.

"It's okay, McGee, you're going to be alright, you're going to be okay. You don't have to go through this alone." whispered Gibbs.

McGee sniffed and wiped his face with his sleeve. He looked up and saw Tony and Ziva, and he felt embarrassed that they saw him this way: weak. Tony was going to give him hell about this afterward.

"I know what you're thinking, McGee. We don't think any lesser of you, because of what we see. We feel so bad for you and for what happened. We all liked Sarah." said Tony.

"And we didn't know your mom, but I bet she was a beautiful and wonderful woman. I'm so sorry for your losses, McGee," Ziva whispered.

"T-thanks, you guys," McGee sniffed.

"Come on, Tim, lets get you up. You're staying at my house for a while." Gibbs said calmly as he helped McGee off the floor. They all walked out, supporting a stumbling McGee, locked his apartment and walked outside into Gibbs' car. McGee fell asleep as soon as the car started rolling, and everyone else was silent for the whole ride.

In ten minutes, the car parked in Gibbs' drive way. Tony got out and went around, opening Tim's door. He put his hand on Tim's shoulder and began to wake him up

"Tim, wake up," Tony said whispering loudly, gently shaking his shoulder.

McGee shifted and his eyes fluttered open. "Huh? Where am I?"

"You're at Gibbs' house," replied Tony.

"Why?"

"You are going to stay with him for awhile 'til you get better."

Tim nodded, but he almost fell back asleep.

"Hey, hey! Stay awake, McGee. You can sleep once you get inside, okay?" Tony looked at Tim's closed eyes and saw the dark circle under his eyes, livid on his pale face. "Tim, when was the last time you slept?" Tony asked helping Tim get out of the car.

"I don't really remember. Maybe a couple days ago, I think?"

Tony sighed as he help Tim inside and brought him upstairs to where Gibbs said the guest room was. He put Tim on the bed and took his shoes off. Gibbs came in and gave McGee some sweatpants and a t-shirt to change into from the wet clothes. Both men left to give Tim some privacy, and when Tim opened the door back, he was dressed in Gibbs' spare clothes. McGee walked over to the bed and collapsed of exhaustion. Gibbs flipped him onto his back and pulled the covers over Tim's shoulders.

"Sleep well, McGee," Gibbs whispered, ruffling Tim's hair, then walked out of the room, turning out the light and began to shut the door. He looked at the pale, sleeping Tim one more time. He sighed and shut the door. _Don't worry, Tim, you'll get though this._


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

_ "It's your fault, Tim! You should have been with us when we were in that car crash. If you were in the front seat you would have died, not me! I'm too young to die, Tim, I haven't even finished college yet!" yelled Sarah._

_ "No, no, I'm so sorry. I know, I should be the one dead!" cried Tim._

_ "It's you fault that dad died, too. Mom told me you were working on the car. You were to lazy to double check your work. Everything is your fault, Tim! I hate you!" _

_ "Please don't, Sarah. I told you I was sor-"_

_ "Sorry is not good enough, Tim!" McGee looked behind him and he saw his mother, all bloodied and crushed. "If you were sorry, you wouldn't have killed my husband. If you were sorry, you would be here with us, instead of living your life happily. You cared more about your job then you cared about your family!"_

_ "I'm not happy, Mom! I'm miserable; I wish that I could go back in time and be with you in that car! I'm sorry mom, please! Please forgive me!" he cried._

_ "Don't beg your mother for forgiveness!" Tim turned around again and saw who he wished he would never see again. "Dad?" Tim cried._

_ "Dad?" His father said in a mocking voice. "Don't speak to me, it's your fault I'm dead, Tim, and you should of paid for it. Not your sister, not your mother, you!"_

_ "No dad, please don't say that! I'm so sorry, please!" Before Tim could do anything else, his dad, sister, and mom came speeding towards him with angry, bloody faces._

_ "No!" Tim screamed. "Please, nooooo!"_

"McGee! Tim, wake up, its just a nightmare! Wake up, Tim!" Gibbs said frantically as he tried to wake his agent up. Tony and Ziva had gone home and he was downstairs working on his boat, when he heard screaming. Taking out his gun and rushing up the stairs two at a time. He ran down the hall and to Tim's room; he busted open the door and went over to Tim. He was screaming bloody murder, as he was thrashing around, pain etched all over his tear-stained face. Setting his gun down on the nightstand, he sat on the edge of the bed and tried to wake McGee up.

"Tim! Dammit, McGee wake up!" he yelled shaking his agent's shoulder.

Tim's eyes popped open and looked around in panic. Where was he? This wasn't his apartment. Someone had a tight grip on his shoulders, and he tried to get away, but he was too tired.

"McGee! Calm down, Tim. You're at my house, calm down."

Tim looked up and saw Gibbs and sure enough he was in his boss's house. Then he remembered the dream and the past events. He began to cry, and Gibbs brought him to his chest as he rubbed his back.

"Shh, its alright, Tim. It was just a nightmare. You're gonna be okay. Let it all out." Tim cried for about twenty minutes before all the tears were dried out.

"I-I'm sorry, Boss, I didn't mean to cry all over you," sniffed Tim.

Gibbs gently smacked the back of Tim's head. "Apologizing is a sign of weakness, Tim."

Tim gave Gibbs a watery smiled and wiped his face as he lay back down on the pillows.

"Do you think you'll be able to go back to sleep, Tim?"

"Yeah, I think I can, Boss," McGee lied.

"Okay, see you tomorrow."

"Thanks, Boss."

"You're welcome, Tim. Now get some sleep."

When Gibbs shut the door, Tim was in the dark. He curled up on his side and stared at the wall. Truth is, he'd never get back to sleep, not after that dream. He was afraid that every time he would close his eyes, his family would start blaming and yelling at him; making him feel more and more bad about himself. So for the rest of the night, he stayed up thinking and doing nothing. He would be so tired in the morning, but he couldn't bear to see accusing faces of his family. Tears began to silently fall as he waited for the sun to come up.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Ten hours later, the sun came up and shined in Tim's face. His eyes squinted as he turned over away from the light. He was glad that it was morning, he didn't have to go to sleep, but now he would have to face his team, Gibbs, with what happened. Groaning, he got up and stumbled to the door; as soon as he opened the door, the smell of bacon and eggs. He couldn't remember the last time someone actually was making breakfast; he usually just had cereal or coffee for breakfast. He remembered when his mom made breakfast for him all the time. _His mom. She was dead_. Tim's lip began to tremble as he thought about his mom. Was he going to cry every time he thought of his mom, his sister, or dad; every time he saw a car crash? He was so weak! Why did he have to be so weak? He pushed the tears away and walked downstairs. Walking into the kitchen, he saw Gibbs making breakfast. Gibbs turned to see who was there, then turned back to the food after he saw it was McGee.

"How'd you sleep, Tim?" Gibbs asked.

"Okay. Still had some nightmares," lied Tim. He never went back to sleep after the first nightmare.

Gibbs brought two plates, covered with food, over to the table. He placed the first plate in front of Tim.

"Eat," Gibbs ordered as he dug into his own breakfast. Tim looked down at his food with a grimace on his face. Not that he didn't like Gibbs' cooking, he just didn't feel hungry. Gibbs looked up from his food and sighed as he put down the fork.

"You need to eat, McGee. I know you haven't since the accident; and if you don't you're gonna get sick.

"I-I don't know if I can, Boss. I feel like I might throw it all up if I do. I don't feel really good."

"Tim, just try, please."

Sighing, Tim gave in and began to eat. He was getting ready to run to the bathroom, but he didn't need to. The food stayed down; once he figured this, he began to shove down his food. He was starving, and Gibbs was right, he hadn't eaten since the accident.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Tim, slow down or you really are gonna be sick," Gibbs said as he held Tim's arm down, keeping him from getting another forkful of food.

"Sorry, Boss, I'm just really hungry."

Gibbs smiled, seeing that his agent was slowing coming back to normal. "I know, but just slow down, okay?"

McGee smiled and went back to eating. There was just something; only one thing that nagged Gibbs' gut. There was just one thing off about Tim, but he couldn't figure it out. He pushed the thought to the back of his head and went back to eating.

Tim stayed over at Gibbs for the next few days. Every night he would wake up in the middle of the night, screaming as he was plagued by nightmares. Gibbs always comforted him, and McGee always lied, saying that he would go back to bed, but never did. Every day that Gibbs saw McGee, he looked worse and worse. He was paler and his eyes looked sunken in from the dark circles around his eyes. Something was definitely wrong. He figured that Tim wasn't getting enough sleep because if the nightmares. So he prescribed some sleeping pills for McGee.

"Here, these will help you, sleep, Tim." Gibbs said as he handed Tim the bottle of pills before bed.

"Thanks, Boss," McGee said as he went up to his room. He got a cup of water and took a pill; he instantly grew tired. He finally was going to get a good nights rest without images of his dead family floating around him. Sighing, McGee fell asleep, with, with what he thought he would have, no nightmares. But at 3am, he woke up screaming again, Gibbs by his side. He started to cry again. Why couldn't he just sleep. He wanted to sleep! Maybe he would sleep better if he was at his apartment, but he remembered that he trashed his place; stupid! He'll have to clean it himself.

"Boss, can I go home today?" McGee asked Gibbs at lunch.

"Sure, but why?" replied Gibbs.

"I don't know, I just wanted to see if the nightmares would stop if I were home."

Gibbs nodded and brought the dishes to the sink.

"C-could I also come back to work? I need to be doing something beside staying in bed; I might go crazy."

"Are you sure, Tim?"

"Yes, I'm sure, Boss. I'll be ready to come back tomorrow." smiled McGee.

"Okay. Go pack."

Tim nodded and rushed up to the guest room to get ready to leave. It's not like he wasn't grateful for Gibbs' hospitality, it's just that he wanted to be home, to be a bit closer to his family. In the next hour, Gibbs drove him to his apartment and walked him up to his door. McGee knew he would be welcoming a ruined place, but it was his own fault. But when he opened, the door, the whole place was clean. Computers fixed and replaced, books back on the shelves, new lamps, even his typewriter looked like new.

"H-How-" McGee stuttered.

"Surprise!" yelled a bunch a people at once. Tony, Ziva and Abby all came from behind the table, grinning at him.

"Timmy, I'm so sorry. I loved Sarah so much," Abby cried as she gave McGee one of her specialty hugs. Then she leaned back and punched him lightly in the arm.

"Ah! What was that for?" McGee winced, rubbing his arm.

"For not telling coming for help... and for almost leaving us."

"I-I'm sorry, I should have never tried to do it." Tim apologized.

Tim looked at Tony and gave him a sheepish smile. Tony's smile disappeared, and they just looked at each other for a moment.

Then Tony came over and gave Tim a hug.

"Don't ever try anything like that again, okay, buddy? And don't think that we aren't here for you. We-I may tease you, but your like a brother to me, and I couldn't bear it if you died."

"Thanks Tony, and I'm sorry if I scared you," replied McGee. They broke the embrace and McGee turned to Ziva and they hugged. Tim sniffed as the hug was tighter.

"I'm so sorry McGee. I know how you must feel," Ziva whispered as she gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Thanks Ziva. Thanks all of you for cleaning my apartment. You didn't have to."

"Yeah, well we wanted too. You've been through enough, you didn't need to worry about cleaning your house." smiled Abby. McGee smiled back.

"Come on, McGee, I made dinner for all of us," said Ziva leading him to the kitchen. As the team ate, they talked about stuff and laughed until Tim was becoming sleepy. Maybe being at his house was working.

"Sleep well, Timmy," Abby said as he kissed Tim on the cheek and left.

"Goodbye, McGee, see you tomorrow," Ziva said hugging Tim and then left.

"See ya, McGee," Tony said shaking McGee's hand and walking out the door.

Tim yawned and went to get ready for bed. Before he could, Gibbs grabbed his arm and stopped him.

"Hey, Tim, are you going to be okay?" he asked with concern.

"Yeah, of course, Boss," Tim replied tiredly.

"Okay, get some rest, Tim, and I'll see you tomorrow. You can come in whenever you'd like."

"Okay. Thanks, Boss, for everything."

"Your welcome, Tim, Goodnight."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8 **

Tim stretched as he shut the door behind Gibbs. He looked around at his empty apartment; now he wished one person stayed with him. But he didn't want to think anymore, he was too tired. Changing into sweats and a t-shirt, McGee got into bed and took a sleeping pill Gibbs got for him. Turning off his lamp, Tim laid down and stared at the ceiling; it had only been three days and he was exhausted, but he was glad he was tired. Slowly closing his eyes, he fell into a deep sleep.

Not three hours later, Tim woke up crying and screaming. Why aren't the pills working? He couldn't even sleep soundlessly for three hours. Wiping his damp face, he turned on the lamp and put his head in his hands. He was never going to be able to sleep again, so he got up and went to see if his computer could distract him for the rest of the night.

Tim realized that he dozed off when his face was laying on the keyboard. Looking at his watch, he saw that it was did he fall asleep? It didn't matter, because he felt like crap: his head hurt, he felt dizzy and nauseous, he couldn't remember anything that happened within the past day and didn't remember how he even got back to his home. He thought he was at Gibbs' house? Tim shrugged and began to get up, but his knees gave out and he fell to the floor with a grunt. His legs felt weak, probably the result of not sleeping. Using the desk to get back up, he stumbled to the bathroom and got a good look at himself. He was sweaty and pale, and his eyes looked sunken into his face. He tried his best to clean up before work, but he still looked pale and sickly. Sighing, he finished getting dressed, got his things and went out the door. In ten minutes, McGee was standing outside the NCIS building; he thought he would be excited coming back, but the truth was he was nervous. He didn't know why, he just didn't feel right. Ever since he got that call from the paramedic, everything went down to hell.

Tim walked inside and into the elevator, his heart beating louder and louder every time he got closer to the bullpen. The elevators opened and he stood there, wondering if he should proceed.

_"Stop being such a baby, Tim! You were always just a stupid, pathetic baby!" _Where did that come from?

"Oh god," Tim thought. "I'm starting to hear voices inside my head. My family's voices." He didn't know if he'd be able to bear it. He couldn't even control it in his dreams.

But Tim brushed it away, for now, and slowly walked out of the elevator. No one was at their desk, but their things were there, so they had to be around somewhere. He sat down at his desk and powered things up. Finally, he heard familiar voices and he put on his best smile so they wouldn't notice how sick he looked.

"Hey! McGee's back, how are you feeling?" Ziva asked cheerfully, walking over to give Tim a hug.

"Hey Ziva. I'm feeling better," Tim replied as happily as he could.

"That's good, because Gibbs has a big case for us to work on," Tony said.

McGee sighed and nodded, getting his computer ready for a truck load of work. Tony noticed the sad look on his partner's face, which would be acceptable for someone who just lost two family members, but there was something else. He decided not to butt in, assuming it was just tiredness.

"We got a big case, today, guys, so get ready," Gibbs walked in with his usual morning coffee. He stopped and noticed McGee at his desk, but also noticed the tired, sad look on his face.

"Hey, Tim, are you going to be able to work this case? You can go home and rest if you'd like."

"No, I'm fine, Boss. It's no problem, okay?"

"Alright, lets get to work," Gibbs said walking to his desk and sitting down.

The day went slow, and the case was even slower; they weren't getting any closer to finding answers. This one was tough. Tim was getting tired, and he felt dizzy and his vision blurred every now and then, but he kept rubbing his eyes to focus. He had to sleep, but he need to solve this case. Just when his eyes were about to close, Gibbs voice rang through his head.

"Hey, Tim, Abby needs your help, okay?"

Tim nodded and jumped out of his chair, heading down to the lab. Gibbs sighed as he saw his agent walk away. He noticed that he was about to fall asleep, so he sent him down to be with Abby who would surely keep him awake. The only thing that bothered him was his gut; it still told him that something wasn't right. He decided he would send him to Ducky soon to get him checked out.

Tim walked into the lab and was immediately attack by an Abby bear hug.

"A-Abby, I...can't...breathe," McGee strained.

"Oh, sorry, Timmy," Abby said letting go of him. She stared at him for a moment, smiling sadly.

"So, Gibbs said you needed help?" Tim said trying to change the topic.

"Oh, ah, yeah," Abby said awkwardly as she turned to her computers. "I can't seem to get this encryption unencrypted. Do you- do you feel up to working on it?"

"Sure, I just need to stay busy to take my mind off of-off of those things."

Abby nodded sadly and they began to work together on the encryption in silence, besides Abby's music. A couple hours later, Tim was feeling more and more sick; he had to keep rubbing his eyes so they would focus and the pounding in his head wasn't helping.

"I'm going to go get some water, Abs," Tim said.

"Okay," Abby replied. Tim turned to get off the stool and stood up, but suddenly felt nauseous and very dizzy. There was a rushing noise in his head, blocking out most of the noises in the room. He could hear a faint voice in the distance, but couldn't place the voice with a name.

"Tim? Are you alright? Tim are you-" but before she could finish her sentence, Tim fell to the ground, unconscious.

"Tim!" Abby yelled, kneeling down next to him. She rolled him onto his back and began to shake him awake.

"Timmy, wake, up! Please wake up, Tim!" she got no response, so she got her phone out and called Ducky. "Ducky, I need your help, NOW!"


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Ducky came rushing in after heard the panic in Abby's voice. He expected her to find something shocking about the case, but when he arrived in the lab it was a totally different situation. Abby was on the ground, trying to wake up a very sick looking Tim. Ducky knew that Tim was coming in today, but he didn't know what time.

"Abigail, what happened?" Ducky breathed.

"I-I don't know. He was getting up to get some water, but he passed out!" Abby yelled frantically.

"Did you call Gibbs yet?" asked Ducky as he looked at Tim.

"Yeah, he should be here-"

"I'm here, Abby, what happened?" Gibbs aid rushing in.

"Timmy passed out, Gibbs. Something's wrong," replied Abby.

Dammit, Gibbs knew something was wrong with Tim, he looked to sick to be working. He should have sent him down to Duck's earlier. Ducky assessed Tim's vitals as Abby and Gibbs stood behind him in concern.

"We have to get him to the hospital now," Ducky said grimly. "His pulse its way too low and he's running a fever of 103."

Abby began to cry as Gibbs called 911; then he called Tony.

"Tony, there are going to be paramedics coming soon, direct them through the garage to Abby's lab," Gibbs ordered.

"Paramed- Why what happened? Did something happen to Abby?" Tony said, voice laced with concern.

"Stop asking questions and just be ready to lead the paramedics to the lab." and with that, Gibbs hung up. Setting his phone down, Tony got up and walked to the elevator. Ziva noticed the pale look on Tony's face and she knew something happened. If something happened in Abby's lab, it had to be Abby who was the one that was hurt.

"Tony what happened?" Ziva asked following Tony inside the elevator. Tony pushed for garage and the started going down.

"I don't know, Gibbs just called and said to direct the paramedics to Abby's lab." Five minutes later, the paramedics drove into the Yard and to the garage. Jumping out and grabbing a stretcher, they followed Tony and Ziva to Abby's lab. Tony had ran faster then both his partner and the paramedics to get to Abby's lab; he really wanted to see who was injured. Finally reaching the door to Abby's lab, he rushed in, only to be stopped by the sight. It wasn't Abby that was hurt, it was Tim. He was lying on the floor looking like death warmed up.

"Tony, where are the paramedics?" yelled Gibbs, getting Tony's attention.

"They're coming down the hall right now, along with Ziva," Tony said quietly. "W-what happened to Tim?"

"I don't know, he just collapsed," replied Gibbs sadly.

Finally the paramedics came rushing in and stopped by Tim's prone body. Ducky began telling them information that they needed to know about McGee's condition. As soon as McGee was strapped onto the gurney and had an oxygen mask on his face, the paramedics sped down the hall back to their vehicle and rushed to the hospital. The team stood silently in the garage; Abby was quietly crying while the rest couldn't believe what just happened.

When they finally came to their senses, Gibbs went to tell Vance what happened. Then the team got into cars and went to the hospital, thinking about their own things. When they got to the hospital, Ducky was the first to the nurses station.

"Excuse, me miss, my name is Dr. Donald Mallard. Can you tell me where Timothy McGee is?"

"Of course, Doctor," smiled the nurse as she looked on the computer.

"Right now he's getting his stomach pumped, his doctor should be out within the hour."

"He's getting his stomach pumped? Why, what did he eat?"

"He didn't eat anything, it says he took about half a bottle of Rozerem."

"Okay. Thank you my dear," Ducky said smiling.

"Anytime doctor."

Ducky walked back to where everyone was sitting, a grim look on his face.

"W-what's wrong, Duck? What did they say about Tim?' Gibbs asked.

"T-Timothy is getting his stomach pumped, because he took half a bottle of Rozerems. Those pills are slow acting, so it would of taken a while for him to get sick from taking so many."

"He tried to kill himself?" Tony said angrily.

"W-why would Timmy do that? Doesn't he know we're here for him?" cried Abby.

"We won't know that he tried to kill himself until we ask him what happened," replied Ducky.

"Of course he tried to kill himself, Ducky! He almost did once, whose to say he tried to do it again!"

"Calm down, Tony!" Gibbs shouted.

"No I won't calm down! My best friend tried to commit suicide, again, and he will obviously never take us seriously for being here for him!" yelled Tony.

Gibbs slapped the back of Tony's head and he immediately shut up, rubbing the spot with a grimace on his face.

"Thanks, Boss," Tony said as he sat down. "I'm just worried about him, you know?"

"I know exactly how you feel, Tony, but don't take it all out on him. He could have accidentally forgot that he took one pill already and kept taking more."

"I hope your right, Boss," Tony sighed.

"I hope so, too, Tony."


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

It was hours before they heard from the doctor; he finally came in just before the team was going to die with worry.

"Sorry for keeping you," the doctor said. " I had to make sure Tim was settled. My name is Dr. Castro, and I must say that Tim was very lucky to have made it through. It was a miracle that he didn't die right away after taking so many pills. We managed to pump out the drugs from his system, and he is resting peacefully. I'd like to keep him overnight, just to be sure, and maybe put him on suicide watch."

"What?" the team exclaimed together.

"Well, yes. We need to make sure he doesn't try to hurt himself again."

"Maybe if we talked to him and asked what happened, it could have been a mistake," Gibbs said angrily.

"Of course, follow me," said Dr, Castro, and he lead them through the double doors and down the hall. He stopped in front of a door and let them go inside.

"Only for an hour, then he needs to rest."

"Thank you, Dr." said Ducky as he followed the rest of the team inside.

The team assessed Tim's condition and saw how much better he looked. He still looked a bit pale and tired, but at least he wasn't running a high fever. Abby went over and sat next to Tim, taking his cold hand in hers.

"Hey, Timmy. Please get better, for me? Please wake up, we need to talk to you."

Nothing. Abby sighed and squeezed his hand. Suddenly, McGee's eyes fluttered open and he looked around in confusion.

"Tim! Tim you're awake," Abby whispered. The team gathered by Tim's side and waited for him to fully awake.

"Hmm? Where am I?" he asked groggily.

"You're at the hospital, Timothy, you passed out," answered Ducky.

"Why?"

"You tell us," Tony said sharply. Ziva elbowed him in the stomach as Gibbs went over to the other side of Tim.

"You took about 15 pills, Tim. Why were you trying to kill yourself again?"

"What? I don't remember taking any-" he stopped and his eyes grew wide. "I-I wasn't trying to kill myself, I just wanted to sleep. Truth is I never went back to sleep since the first night at Gibbs when I woke up screaming. All those times that I wake up, I never could go back to bed, because I didn't want to see the bloody faces of my family. They're haunting me in my dreams. I assure you I just wanted to sleep. They weren't working so I kept taking more, forgetting that I already had two and that I was going to kill myself if I took more. I'm really sorry if I scared you guys, really."

The team smiled, he didn't try to kill himself. "Just don't do it again, alright?" Abby scolded.

"I won't, Abs, but unless I have morphine, I don't think I will ever be able to sleep again."

"You will, Tim. Don't forget, we are all here for you," said Ziva.

"Thanks, you guys," Tim yawned. The morphine was dragging him under and the team decided it was best to let him rest. Ziva, Abby, and Ducky went home, while Tony stayed with Tim and Gibbs went to the cafeteria.

The next day, Tim was able to go home, so Gibbs and Tony brought him to his apartment, but decided that someone should stay with him every night until things got better. Tonight was Tony's night.

"How about pizza, McGee?" Tony asked. He got no response; concerned, he walked to Tim's room and found him sitting at the edge of his bed looking at a photo. Tony went to go sit next to him and saw that the picture was of Tim's family. Tony sighed and put a comforting hand on Tim's shoulder.

"I'm really sorry for what happened, Tim."

McGee looked up at Tony and his eyes began to well up with tears.

"I know I shouldn't, but I feel so guilty about all of their deaths. Every time I go to sleep, I see their faces, blaming me for what happened, and I can't live with it, Tony, I just can't. My father's accusations are the worse, but that one _was_ my fault anyways and I will never work on cars again."

"Wait, your dad died, too?" Tony said shocked. Tim nodded and looked at the picture again, mostly focused on his sister. He rubbed his thumb across her face and tears began to fall.

"I-I took her life away, Tony! She didn't even finish college, she won't get married or have kids, all because of me!"

Tony's heart was breaking at the sight of his friend. He didn't know what to do, but he was going to try anyways. Putting a hand on McGee's back, he could feel his partner trembling.

"I'm not really good at these types of things, but I'm going to try. I know what it's like to loose a parent. I lost my mom when I was ten."

Tim looked up at Tony with empathy. "H-how?"

"Cancer."

"I'm sorry, Tony."

"It's okay, I've learned to deal with it. I mean sometimes I'll have nightmares, but not everyday like it used to."

"Really? How did you live with it?" asked Tim.

"Dad blamed me for what happened, I don't know why. It took m a while to figure out it wasn't my fault, because my mom was the one who smoked. I loved my mom, but I bet if she didn't smoke she'd still be alive now. It was hard to live with her death, since she was the only one who actually cared about me. But I knew that my mom didn't blame me, she loved me too much. So don't think it's your fault, because it wasn't. Ignore the voices, Tim, because they don't know anything. If you think of the good times you had with your family and how much you loved each other, those voices will change into good things. They will tell you how much they miss and love you and not to be with them until the time is right."

Tim looked at Tony, trying to see if he was being serious. When Tony's face didn't change, Tim smiled. "Thanks Tony, that really means a lot coming from you."

"Your welcome, buddy. If you ever want to talk, just ask; I know I tease you a lot, but that's what brothers do."

Tim smiled and he laughed for real, for the first time in days.

"Ready for pizza and maybe some James Bond movies?"

"Sure, Tony," laughed McGee. For the next five hours, Tony and McGee ate pizza and watched movies. It was about 10pm and the last James bond movie was over.

"Alright, McGee," Tony said turning off the DVD player and TV. "Gibbs is going to kill me if he found out you didn't rest, time for bed." When he got no response, he looked over to where Tim was sitting on the couch. But he wasn't sitting anymore, he was curled up on the couch with a blanket just covering his legs. Tony smiled as went over to Tim to see if he was really sleeping. Leaning over, he could hear the soft snoring come from McGee. Tony sighed, he didn't want to have to wake Tim up; he looked like he was actually sleeping better, so he took the blanket and brought it over Tim's shoulders.

"Night, Tim," Tony yawned as he went to go sleep in McGee's room. Getting into the bed, Tony began silently crying. Bringing up those memories about his mother had gotten to him; but it helped Tim and that made him happier. Five minutes later, Tony fell into a deep sleep.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Tim woke up with the sun shining on his face. Where was he? Looking around, he saw that he was in his living room on the couch. Then he realized it was morning; not 3am morning but it was 10am, and he had slept through the night without waking up! Tim smiled as he realized his accomplishment. Tony had really helped him. He remembered his nightmares he had last night, the blaming and the screaming, but he pushed them away and thought of the good times he had with his family. The angry bleeding people, became clean and happy. They had told Tim that it wasn't his fault and not to blame himself anymore. They told him to take care of himself and that they didn't want to see where they were until he was an old man.

Yawning and stretching, Tim threw the covers off and walked slowly to the bathroom. He noticed that Tony was in his bed, snoring loudly. Tim rolled his eyes, hoping he wasn't naked, and went to go take a shower. The warm water felt good on his body, and it calmed him completely.

He suddenly heard the door pounding, which woke him up.

"That's weird, when did I fall asleep?" He thought. He was lying in the tub with the water spraying on him, and was propped up on the wall.

"Tim! Tim are you alright in there?" Tony yelled frantically. "You've been in there a long time and if you don't come out, I'm going to break this door down!"

McGee winced at Tony's voice which was laced with anger and concern. He put his hand to the back of his head and felt a giant bump; he must of hit his head on the wall. He brought back his hand and he saw blood. This wasn't good, he must of passed out. Damn!

"McGee! I'm coming in there!" threatened Tony.

"No, no no! I'm fine, Tony, I just dozed off!" McGee yelled back.

"Are you sure, you're okay?" Tony asked.

McGee dried off and got dressed. He was starting to get a headache again, and it was worse than before. His eyes were becoming unfocused and he was getting dizzy; but he didn't want to alarm Tony and he didn't want to go back to the hospital of horrible memories.

"Tim! Ans-"

"I'm fine Tony," Tim grumbled as he walked out the door and to the kitchen. Tony looked at him

uncertainly, then followed behind him, noticing the bleeding bump on the side of his friend's head.

"Are you sure, Tim, because there is a giant bump on the side-"

"I'm fine, Tony, just leave me alone!" Tim yelled, but then grunted as he held his head. The without another thought, McGee fell to the ground unconscious.

"Tim!" Tony said running to catch his partner. "Tim, wake up," he said gently slapping McGee's face and shaking him. Panicking, Tony got his phone out and called Ducky.

"Ducky! I need you over at McGee's now. He hit his head and he probably has a concussion!"

_"Oh, dear! I'll be over as soon as I can,"_ Ducky replied. Tony hung up and moved Tim to the couch.

"Come on, Tim, wake up," Tony whined. Nothing. This was bad, really bad. Finally, he heard a knock at the door, and Tony got up to get it.

"Where is he, Tony?" Ducky asked quickly as he ran inside.

"He's in the living room on the couch."

The two rushed into the living room and Ducky immediately started to check Tim's vitals. He shone a flashlight in McGee's eyes and saw that his pupils where dilated. Everything else was fine.

"He has no concussion, but he hit his head pretty hard, other than that he's looking good. Just make sure he rests and when he does wake up, try and test his abilities; strength, balance, reflexes, vision and what not. Call me with the results, okay Anthony."

"Thanks, Duck," Tony said patting the doctor on the back as he went out the door. Tony went back into the living room and waited for Tim to get up. He read some magazines and played Tetris on his phone to pass the time.

A couple hours later, Tony heard groaning an he looked over to where Tim was. He was finally waking up.

"Tim? Tim can you hear me?" he asked.

"Hmm?" said McGee.

"It's me, Tony, can you open your eyes?" McGee opened one eye, squinting. Then opened his other eye.

"Tony? What- what happened? Did I pass out again?"

"Yes and no. You passed out, but it was caused by you hitting your head on the wall in your shower." replied Tony.

"Oh," said Tim, embarrassed.

"Don't worry, I didn't see you... you know. You came out first and collapsed by the couch."

Tim sighed in relief and closed his eyes. His head still hurt, and he was beginning to feel tired. He got up and stumbled before Tony caught him. "Whoa! Where are you going?" asked Tony.

"I'm really tired, Tony. One good nights sleep isn't going to help me not be tired anymore."

"Well, before you go, Ducky said I needed to check some things first."

"Fine."

Tony tested Tim's strength, balance and his reflexes; accidentally punching Tim in the stomach along the way.

"Okay one more thing," said Tony. "Follow my finger," he said putting his finger in front of Tim's face. His eyes followed it with no problem. "Okay, you're good to go." Tony said then called Ducky to tell him the results.

Tim nodded and yawned as he went into his room, climbing into bed and instantly falling asleep. Tomorrow he was going to be going to his mother and sister's funeral.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Tim stood in front on a mirror, looking at how he was dressed. He was wearing a black suit, and he didn't like it. Tony had left a while ago to get ready and he felt alone, again. He had a heavy feeling in his heart and there was a reason why. He was going to another funeral, and this time, he was the one who had to speak at it. When his dad died, his mom did all the talking while he and his sister sat in the front crying. He had no idea what he was going to say, even if he did, he didn't think he could do it without crying. Suddenly there was a beeping noise, and his phone began to vibrate. Sighing, he left the mirror and went over to the nightstand to pick it up. _Gibbs_.

"Hello?" he said in a depressed voice.

"Tim, are you ready? We're downstairs waiting for you," stated Gibbs.

"Yeah, I'll be down in a second," he replied and hung up the phone.

"How is he?" asked Ziva as Gibbs put his phone away.

"He doesn't sound to good, Ziva," Gibbs sighed.

A couple minutes later, Tim came out of the building and got into the car. The drive to the funeral was silent; Tony noticed that Tim was shaking so he put a comforting hand on his shoulder. Tim looked at him and gave him a sad smile, then looked back out the window.

Soon they finally reached the church; getting out of the car, Tim froze and looked up at the church. He couldn't do this, he was too weak, he can't do this. Gibbs noticed how pale Tim had got and he went over to him just as he was about to get back in the car.

"Tim, you can do this, okay? We're going to be right in the front for you; you will not be alone, got it?"

Tim looked at Gibbs for a second in hesitation, but then he nodded.

"But, I have no idea what to say, Boss."

"You will, Tim. Just speak from your heart and you will have so much to say."

Tim smiled and they turned back around and followed the others into the church. As they got closer, Tim could see the caskets. It was a good thing that they were closed, though, he couldn't bear to see how his mom looked. His breathing quickened, but Gibbs put an assuring hand on his shoulder and squeezed it. They sat down in the front, along with Abby, Ducky, Palmer, Ziva, Tony, and even the Director.

After the priest spoke, it was his time to go up. He looked once more at the team and they all nodded at him. He smiled and walked up to the altar.

He looked down at the crowd and sighed. "Here we go," he thought.

"I don't really know what to say, except for the fact that my sister was taken too young, and that my-my mom's life still had a long way to go. I lost my father ten years back, and it took me a while to deal with it; this might take even longer. My mom and Sarah has always been the most important thing to me. My mom taught me almost everything I know, and my sister...well, she was annoying, but I loved her. My mom wanted me to p-protect Sarah, but I guess I failed the request. I'm so sorry, mom and Sarah, and even dad. I'm sorry that I couldn't keep you safe, but I know that you are in a better place. I thought that I was going to be alone without you guys, and it's true I kinda am. But I have my friends that I can always count to lean on; if didn't I-I probably wouldn't be here right now." Tim looked at his team and smiled. Abby and Ziva had tears running down their faces, while Tony's eyes were misting and Gibbs and Ducky had sad looks on their faces. Tim continued to speak as he looked at the caskets.

"With the strengths of my friends, I will be able to move on; it will be a long process, but I know I'll be able to do it. I love you guys and I'll miss you so much." Tim stepped down and went back to his team. Abby gave him a big hug and he suddenly began to cry. The rest of team gathered around to embrace Tim. He wasn't alone, and he closed his eyes, seeing the smiling faces of his mom and sister, even his dad. They were going to get through this together.

**The End**

**Thanks to all the fans of Sleeping Sickness and to PowerfulImmortalGirl for giving me idea of Sleeping Sickness 3 and others that voted and helped me come up with ideas. Thanks :)))**


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